Three dimensional optical memory device

ABSTRACT

A system includes a data storage medium comprising layers, an excitation circuit, and an emitter. Each layer comprises cells arranged in a horizontal plane. Cells in different layers are arranged in a vertical plane of the data storage medium. The excitation circuit excites a layer during excitation period. Exciting the layer changes an optical property of the layer during the excitation period. The emitter emits a first and a second beam onto a first and a second cell of the layer being excited during the excitation period to orient electrical charges within the first and the second cell to a first and second oriented values and their intensity to a first and second intensity values respectively. The first and second cells maintain the first and second oriented values and the first and second intensity values after the excitation period is over or in absence of the layer being excited.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part and claims the benefit andpriority to a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/345,389, filed on Nov.7, 2016, which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Certain devices use disk drives with perpendicular magnetic recordingmedia to store information. For example, disk drives can be found inmany desktop computers, laptop computers, and data centers.Perpendicular magnetic recording media store information magnetically asbits. Bits store information by holding and maintaining a magnetizationthat is adjusted by a disk drive head. In order to store moreinformation on a disk, bits are made smaller and packed closer together,thereby increasing the density of the bits. Therefore as the bit densityincreases, disk drives can store more information. However as bitsbecome smaller and are packed closer together, the bits becomeincreasingly susceptible to erasure, for example due to thermallyactivated magnetization reversal or adjacent track interference.

SUMMARY

Provided herein is an apparatus including a first storage cell with anelectrical property. A system includes a data storage medium, anexcitation circuit, and an emitter. The data storage medium includes aplurality of layers. Each layer comprises a plurality of cells that arearranged in a horizontal plane of the data storage medium with respectto one another. Cells in different layers of the plurality of layers arearranged in a vertical plane of the data storage medium with respect toone another. The excitation circuit is configured to excite a layer ofthe plurality of layers during excitation period. Exciting the layer ofthe plurality of layers changes an optical property of the layer duringthe excitation period. The emitter is configured to emit a first beamonto a first cell of the layer being excited during the excitationperiod to orient electrical charges within the first cell to a firstoriented value and their intensity to a first intensity value. Theemitter is further configured to emit a second beam onto a second cellof the layer being excited during the excitation period to orientelectrical charges within the second cell to a second oriented value andtheir intensity to a second intensity value. The first cell maintainsthe first oriented value and the first intensity value after theexcitation period is over or in absence of the layer being excited. Thesecond cell maintains the second oriented value and the second intensityvalue after the excitation period is over or in absence of the layerbeing excited. These and other features and advantages will be apparentfrom a reading of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an emitter focusing a laser on a target cell of a threedimensional storage device according to one aspect of the presentembodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the target cell including figurativerepresentations of dipole orientations according to one aspect of thepresent embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the target cell including changes tothe figurative representations of the dipole orientations according toone aspect of the present embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the target cell including figurativerepresentations of free electrons according to one aspect of the presentembodiments.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the target cell including a firstincreased density of free electrons according to one aspect of thepresent embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the target cell including a secondincreased density of free electrons according to one aspect of thepresent embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows a target cell of a three dimensional storage devicealtering a laser from an emitter, and a detector detecting the alteredlaser according to one aspect of the present embodiments.

FIG. 8 shows a target cell of a three dimensional storage devicereflecting and altering a laser from an emitter, and a detectordetecting the altered laser according to one aspect of the presentembodiments.

FIG. 9 shows a first emitter and a second emitter focusing a first laserand a second laser on a cell of a three dimensional storage deviceaccording to one aspect of the present embodiments.

FIG. 10 shows a first emitter, a second emitter, and a third emitterfocusing a first laser, a second laser, and a third laser on a cell of athree dimensional storage device according to one aspect of the presentembodiments.

FIG. 11 shows a first emitter focusing a first laser on a first cell,and a second emitter focusing a second laser on a second cell of a threedimensional storage device according to one aspect of the presentembodiments.

FIGS. 12A-12C show orientation and intensity representation of electricfield information stored in a three dimensional storage device accordingto one aspect of the present embodiments.

FIG. 13A-13B show storing electric field information in a threedimensional storage device using a shockwave generator according to oneaspect of the present embodiments.

FIG. 14 shows storing electric field information in a three dimensionalstorage device using excitation circuitry according to one aspect of thepresent embodiments.

FIGS. 15A-B show storing electric field information in a threedimensional storage device with gridlines to activate cellsindependently according to one aspect of the present embodiments.

DESCRIPTION

Before various embodiments are described in greater detail, it should beunderstood that the embodiments are not limiting, as elements in suchembodiments may vary. It should likewise be understood that a particularembodiment described and/or illustrated herein has elements which may bereadily separated from the particular embodiment and optionally combinedwith any of several other embodiments or substituted for elements in anyof several other embodiments described herein.

It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing the certain concepts, and the terminology is notintended to be limiting. Unless defined otherwise, all technical andscientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonlyunderstood in the art to which the embodiments pertain.

Unless indicated otherwise, ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third,etc.) are used to distinguish or identify different elements or steps ina group of elements or steps, and do not supply a serial or numericallimitation on the elements or steps of the embodiments thereof. Forexample, “first,” “second,” and “third” elements or steps need notnecessarily appear in that order, and the embodiments thereof need notnecessarily be limited to three elements or steps. It should also beunderstood that, unless indicated otherwise, any labels such as “left,”“right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “middle,” “bottom,” “beside,”“forward,” “reverse,” “overlying,” “underlying,” “up,” “down,” or othersimilar terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “under,”“between,” “over,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “proximal,” “distal,” andthe like are used for convenience and are not intended to imply, forexample, any particular fixed location, orientation, or direction.Instead, such labels are used to reflect, for example, relativelocation, orientation, or directions. It should also be understood thatthe singular forms of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referencesunless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As the technology of magnetic recording media reaches maturity, itbecomes increasingly difficult to continue to increase the storagecapacity of recording media (e.g. disk drive disks) or to reduce thesize of recording media while maintaining storage capacity. Suchchallenges may be overcome by increasing the bit density on therecording media. However, increasing the bit density is not alwayspossible. For example, increasing bit density can decrease the signal tonoise ratio (“SNR”) below acceptable levels. Furthermore, reducing thebit size or the thickness of the stack lowers the thermal stability ofthe grains within the bits, thereby increasing the grains'susceptibility to fluctuation and information loss.

Embodiments described below address these concerns with informationstorage cells arranged in a three dimensional structure whereinformation is stored electrically with the use of one or more lasers.For example, in various embodiments a higher power write laser is usedto write information to a storage cell by electrically changing electricfield orientations and intensities of the storage cell. A lower powerread laser is used to read the stored information from the storage cell,without altering the electric field orientations and intensities (e.g.changing the stored information) of the storage cell. The read/writelasers may be focused at any depth and location within the threedimensional structure, without being interfered with or interfering withother storage cells.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an emitter 102 focusing a laser 104 on a targetcell 106 of a three dimensional storage device 108 are shown accordingto one aspect of the present embodiments. The emitter 102 may be forexample a femtosecond laser that emits light energy as the laser 104.The laser 104 is focused on the target cell 106. The target cell 106 isone of many storage cells 110 arranged within a three dimensional arraywithin the three dimensional storage device 108. When the laser 104 isfocused on the target cell 106, properties of the target cell 106 arealtered, thereby storing information. For example, the laser 104 maychange properties of the target cell 106 including electric fieldorientations and intensities. Therefore, as a result of altering theproperties, information may be written to the cells.

The emitter 102 is configured to alter the electric field orientationsand intensities of the target cell 106 by focusing the laser 104directly on the target cell 106. As such, the laser 104 does not affectother storage cells 110 until the laser 104 is focused on anotherstorage cell. The laser 104 may be focused at any location and depthwithin the three dimensional storage device 108. For example, theemitter 102 may focus the laser 104 at a location directly in the middleof the three dimensional storage device 108. As a result, the laser 104will pass through many of the storage cells 110, without affecting theirelectrical characteristics (e.g. electric field orientations andintensities). However, the storage cell directly in the middle that thelaser 104 is focused upon will have its electrical characteristicschanged as a result of the focused laser 104. In various embodiments,the storage cells 110 retain their electrical characteristics after thewriting process performed by the emitter 102 and the laser 104.

It is understood that in various embodiments the illustrated storagecells 110 are figurative representations of locations within the threedimensional storage device 108. Therefore, in some embodiments twosimilarly shaped and sized three dimensional storage devices may havedifferent densities and/or patterns of storage cells as a result ofvarying the focused locations of the laser 104.

In various embodiments, the three dimensional storage device 108 is atransparent or semi-transparent material. For example, the threedimensional storage device 108 may include quartz, diamond, aluminumoxide, or other transparent/semi-transparent materials. In someembodiments, the laser 104 may create little to no heat within thethree-dimensional storage device 108. It is understood that heat may beprevented, for example, by selecting an emitter 102 which produces alaser 104 that does not cause the molecules of the three dimensionalstorage device 108 to vibrate in a heat producing fashion. For example,a femtosecond laser may be focused on the target cell 106, withoutheating the target cell 106, other storage cells 110, and other areas ofthe three dimensional storage device 108. Such examples for preventingor limiting heat are merely exemplary and are understood to benon-limiting.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an enlarged view of the target cell 106including figurative representations of dipole orientations 150 is sownaccording to one aspect of the present embodiments. In some embodiments,the laser 104 (see FIG. 1) causes mobility within the target cell 106such that the dipole orientations 150 within the target cell 106 alignwith the excitation laser. In other embodiments, a separate orientationlaser may be used to cause alignment of the dipole orientations 150. Thedipole orientations 150 may be aligned in any direction. For example, inthe illustrated embodiment the dipole orientations 150 may be identifiedaccording to a spherical coordinate system. However, alternateembodiments may use coordinate systems and alignments according to anyshape. As a result of the dipole orientations 150, the target cell 106may store information according to both the target cell's locationwithin the three dimensional storage device, as well as the targetcell's dipole orientation.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an enlarged view of the target cell 106including changes to the figurative representations of the dipoleorientations 150 is shown according to one aspect of the presentembodiments. As described above, dipole orientations 150 may be alignedand realigned over and over again. For example, one or more lasers maycause mobility of the dipole orientations 150 allowing foralignment/realignment of the dipole orientations 150 in order to storeinformation. Furthermore, different laser characteristics may be used toalter the dipole orientations 150 in predetermined fashions. Forexample, a first light energy may change the dipole orientations 150(e.g. electrical properties) in a first desired way. A second lightenergy that is different from the first light energy (e.g. differentintensity, wavelength, etc.) may alter the previous change to the dipoleorientations 150 in a second desired way. As a result, the target cell106 (e.g. information storage cell) may be repeatedly written andrewritten according to variations in the light energy.

It is understood that in various embodiments not all of the dipoleorientations 150 will share the same alignment, and it is not necessaryfor all of the dipole orientations 150 to share the same alignment. Insuch embodiments, information can be stored by orienting enough of thedipole orientations 150 for an alignment to be determined. Indeed, inother embodiments more than one alignment can be shared by differentgroups within the target cell 106, as long as the different alignmentsare detectable enough to retrieve stored information.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an enlarged view of the target cell 106including figurative representations of free electrons 160 is shownaccording to one aspect of the present embodiments. As previouslydescribed, in various embodiments an excitation laser may exciteelectrons thereby creating free charge. For example, a laser may cause acoulomb explosion thereby exciting the free electrons 106 and creatingcharge mobility within the target cell 106. The same laser or adifferent laser may then be used (or simultaneously used) to control thefree electrons 106 within the target cell 106. As a result, in someembodiments the characteristics of the target cell 106 are altered tostore information electrically by redistributing the free electrons 106to align with the incoming light's electric field (e.g. the electricfield of the laser 104, see FIG. 1). As such, the light's electric fieldintensity is sufficiently high such that the ensemble of electron'spotential energy is increased so that charge mobility in the target cellcan occur.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an enlarged view of the target cell 106including a first increased density of free electrons 160 is shownaccording to one aspect of the present embodiments. In variousembodiments, the excited free electrons 106 (e.g. free charge)accumulate at a location in the target cell 106 based on the electricfield intensity of one or more lasers (e.g. laser 104, see FIG. 1). As aresult, information can be stored by detecting the location of theaccumulated electrical charge within the target cell 106. In theillustrated embodiment, the location of the increased density of thefree electrons 160 may be expressed according to a spherical coordinatesystem. However, alternate embodiments may use target cells andcoordinate systems according to any shape.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an enlarged view of the target cell 106including a second increased density of free electrons 160 is shownaccording to one aspect of the present embodiments. In some embodiments,the density of the free electrons 160 is controlled and detectable. Assuch, the magnitude and intensity of the stored charge can also be usedto store information along with the location of the charge. For example,the first density of free electrons illustrated in FIG. 5 will have aweaker intensity than the second increased density of free electrons 160illustrated in FIG. 6, because the second increased density is greaterthan the first increased intensity. In further embodiments, differentdensities of the free electrons 160 may be used to create varyingintensities of electrical charge, thereby allowing for the storage ofdifferent information within the target cell 106. In other embodiments,more than one density of free electrons 160 with different intensitiescan be stored within the target cell 106, as long as the more than onedensities and intensities of the free electrons 160 are detectableenough to retrieve stored information.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a target cell 206 of a three dimensionalstorage device 208 altering a laser 204 from an emitter 202, and adetector 212 detecting the altered laser 205 is shown according to oneaspect of the present embodiments. The emitter 202 generates a lowerpower laser 204 than the FIG. 1 laser 104. As such, the lower powerlaser 204 may be focused on the target cell 206, without altering theproperties of the target cell 206. However, the properties of the targetcell 206 may alter the laser 204, thereby transforming the laser 204into the altered laser 205. The altered laser 205 is then detected atthe detector 212. As a result, information stored by the target cell 206may be read through the detection of the altered laser 205. It isunderstood that in certain configurations the target cell 206 may notalter the properties of the laser 204, and therefore the altered laser205 may be the same as the laser 204.

For example, information may be electrically stored in one or more ofthe cells, as described in FIGS. 1-6. The emitter 202 may then generatethe laser 204 with a first property (for example a first wavelength).The laser 204 is focused on the target cell 206, and travels throughother storage cells 210, without being altered. The target cell 206 thenchanges the first property of the laser 204 into a second property (forexample a second wavelength) thereby transforming the laser 204 into analtered laser 205. The altered laser 205 is then received at thedetector 212, which interprets the altered laser 205 as the informationstored earlier in the target cell 206. In various embodiments, one ormore of the other storage cells 210 may also alter the laser 204,thereby contributing to the alterations of the altered laser 205 that isdetected at the detector 212.

In some embodiments, the information detected at the detector 212 mayinclude different complexities of information based on the properties ofthe target cell 206. For example as described in earlier figures, theproperties of the target cell 206 may include electrical informationincluding charge location and intensity within the target cell 206. Suchinformation about the amount of charge accumulated can be determined bymeasuring the dot product and noting the intensity, in some embodiments.Additional methods of reading the electrical properties of the targetcell 206 may include using a lower power/lower intensity laser thatsweeps the polarization vector from 0 to Pi radians. Such examples andmethods are understood to be non-limiting, and alternate embodiments mayuse other methods for reading the electrical information stored in thetarget cell 206. As a result, information beyond binary states can berecorded within the three dimensional storage device 208.

It is understood that FIGS. 1 through 7 work in conjunction with eachother, and that for clarity of illustration certain elements of FIGS. 1through 7 are not pictured in all of the figures (e.g. the detector212). In various embodiments, the emitter 102 and the emitter 202 may bethe same emitter or different emitters. For example, a single emittermay be used to emit the higher power laser used in the write functionsdescribed with respect to FIG. 1. The same single emitter may also beused to emit the lower power laser used in the read functions describedwith respect to FIG. 2. In further embodiments, the emitter 102 used towrite information may be separate from the emitter 202 used to readinformation.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a target cell 306 of a three dimensionalstorage device 308 reflecting and altering a laser 304 from an emitter302, and a detector 312 detecting the altered laser 305 is shownaccording to one aspect of the present embodiments. Similar to FIG. 7,in the embodiment of FIG. 8 the emitter 302 generates a lower powerlaser 304 than the FIG. 1 laser 104. As such, the lower power laser 304may be focused on a target cell 306, without altering the properties ofthe target cell 306.

However, the properties of the target cell 306 may alter and reflect thelaser 304 (or a portion of the laser 304), thereby transforming thelaser 304 into the altered laser 305. Therefore, the target cell 306 ofFIG. 8 differs from the target cell 206 of FIG. 7 by reflecting thelaser 305. As a result, the altered laser 305 is a reflected laser thatis then detected at the detector 312. Information stored by the targetcell 306 may be read through the detection of the altered laser 305. Itis understood that in certain configurations the target cell 306 may notalter the properties of the laser 304, and therefore the altered laser305 may be the same as the laser 304.

For example, information may be stored in one or more of the cells, asdescribed in FIG. 1. The emitter 302 may then generate a laser 304 witha first property (for example a first intensity). The laser 304 isfocused on the target cell 306, and travels through other storage cells310, without being altered. The target cell 306 then changes the firstproperty of the laser 304 into a second property (for example a secondintensity) thereby transforming the laser 304 into an altered laser 305.The altered laser 305 is then reflected from the target cell 306 andreceived at the detector 312. The detector 312 interprets the alteredlaser 305 as the information stored earlier in the target cell 306. Invarious embodiments, one or more of the other storage cells 310 may alsoalter the laser 304, thereby contributing to the alterations of thealtered laser 305 that is detected at the detector 312.

It is understood that FIG. 1 and FIG. 8 work in conjunction with eachother, and that for clarity of illustration certain elements of FIG. 1and FIG. 8 are not pictured in both figures (e.g. the detector 312). Invarious embodiments, the emitter 102 and the emitter 302 may be the sameemitter or different emitters. For example, a single emitter may be usedto emit the higher power laser used in the write functions describedwith respect to FIG. 1. The same single emitter may also be used to emitthe lower power laser used in the read functions described with respectto FIG. 8. In further embodiments, the emitter 102 used to writeinformation may be separate from the emitter 302 used to readinformation.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a first emitter 402 and a second emitter 403focusing a first laser 404 and a second laser 405 on a cell 406 of athree dimensional storage device 408 are shown according to one aspectof the present embodiments. As in FIG. 1, the first emitter 402 createsa high power first laser 404, and the second emitter 403 creates a lowpower second laser 405. It is understood that high power and low powerare relative to each other. Therefore, the first laser 404 has a higherpower than the second laser 405, and the second laser 405 has a lowerpower than the first laser 404.

The first laser 404 is focused on the target cell 406. The target cell406 is one of many storage cells 410 arranged within a three dimensionalarray within the three dimensional storage device 408. When the laser404 is focused on the target cell 406, the electrical properties of thetarget cell 406 may be altered (as previously described), therebystoring information.

In addition, the second emitter 403 may be focused on the target cell406. In various embodiments, the second emitter 403 may create a lowerpower second laser 405 or a higher power second laser 405. Therefore,the second emitter 403 may be used in conjunction with the first emitter402 for writing information to the target cell 406. In addition, thesecond emitter 403 may be used to read information from the target cell406 before, during, and/or after the first emitter creates the firstlaser 404. For clarity of illustration, the detector (see FIG. 8) is notshown, however it is understood that one or more detectors may bepresent in various embodiments.

In further embodiments, different intensities of the first laser 404(from the first emitter 402) and the second laser 405 (from the secondemitter 403) may be combined for reading and/or writing to the targetcell 406. For example, the first laser 404 alone and the second laser405 alone may not have sufficient power to write to the target cell 406.However, the combination of the first laser 404 and the second laser 405may have sufficient power to write to the target cell 406. Therefore, itis understood that various combinations of laser intensities may be usedto read cell electrical properties or change cell electrical properties.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a first emitter 502, a second emitter 503, anda third emitter 501 focusing a first laser 504, a second laser 505, anda third laser 507 on a cell 506 of a three dimensional storage device508 are shown according to one aspect of the present embodiments. As inFIG. 1, the first emitter 502 creates a higher power first laser 504.The first laser 504 is focused on the target cell 506. The target cell506 is one of many storage cells 510 arranged within a three dimensionalarray within the three dimensional storage device 508. When the laser504 is focused on the target cell 506, the electrical properties of thetarget cell 506 may be altered (as previously described), therebystoring information.

In addition, the second emitter 503 and the third emitter 501 may befocused on the target cell 506. In various embodiments, the secondemitter 503 creates a lower power second laser 505 or a higher powersecond laser 505, and the third emitter 501 creates a lower power thirdlaser 507 or a higher power third laser 507. It is understood that anycombination of differently powered lasers may be used. For example, ahigh power laser, a medium power laser, and a low power laser may beused by any of the three emitters. In a further example, a high powerlaser and two low power lasers may be used by any of the three emitters.In still further examples, different power combinations may be producedby any of the emitters.

Therefore for example, the second emitter 503 and/or the third emitter501 may be used in conjunction with the first emitter 502 for writinginformation to the target cell 506. In addition, the second emitter 503and/or the third emitter 501 may be used to read information from thetarget cell 506 before, during, and/or after the first emitter createsthe first laser 504. For clarity of illustration, the detector (see FIG.8) is not shown, however it is understood that one or more detectors maybe present in various embodiments.

In further embodiments, different intensities of the first laser 504from the first emitter 502, the second laser 505 from the second emitter503, and/or the third laser 507 from the third emitter 501 may becombined for reading and/or writing to the target cell 506. For example,the first laser 504 alone, the second laser 505 alone, and/or the thirdlaser 507 alone may not have sufficient power to write to the targetcell 506. However, the combination of the first laser 504, the secondlaser 505, and/or the third laser 507 may have sufficient power to writeto the target cell 506. In a still further example, different lasers orcombinations of lasers may change and/or read different properties (e.g.reflectivity, transparency, refractivity, etc.) of the cell. Thedifferent properties may be changed or read simultaneously or atdifferent times. Therefore, it is understood that various combinationsof laser intensities may be used to read cell properties or change cellproperties.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a first emitter 602 focusing a first laser 604on a first cell 606, and a second emitter 603 focusing a second laser605 on a second cell 609 of a three dimensional storage device 608 areshown according to one aspect of the present embodiments. As in previousfigures, the first emitter 602 may perform read/write operations on thefirst target cell 606 by radiating a higher power or lower power firstlaser 604. The first laser 604 is focused on the first target cell 606.The first target cell 606 is one of many storage cells 610 arrangedwithin a three dimensional array within the three dimensional storagedevice 608. When the laser 604 is focused on the target cell 606,properties of the target cell 606 may be altered or read (as previouslydescribed). It is understood that the first emitter 602 may perform theread/write functions by itself or in conjunction with one or moreadditional emitters.

In addition, the second emitter 603 may be focused on the second targetcell 609. The second emitter 603 may perform read/write operations onthe second target cell 609 by radiating a higher power or lower powersecond laser 605. The second laser 605 is focused on the second targetcell 609. The second target cell 609 is one of many storage cells 610arranged within the three dimensional array within the three dimensionalstorage device 608. When the second laser 605 is focused on the secondtarget cell 609, properties of the second target cell 609 may be alteredor read (as previously described). It is understood that the secondemitter 603 may perform the read/write functions by itself or inconjunction with one or more additional emitters.

In various embodiments, the first emitter 602 and the second emitter 603may perform read functions or write functions at the same time or atdifferent times. In some embodiments, different read functions anddifferent writing functions may be performed simultaneously by the firstemitter 602 and the second emitter 603. For example, the first emitter602 may be detecting or creating a first electron density of the firsttarget cell 606, and the second emitter 603 may be detecting or creatinga second electron density of the second target cell 609 that isdifferent from the first electron density. For clarity of illustration,one or more detectors (see FIG. 8) are not shown, however it isunderstood that one or more detectors may be present in numerouscombinations with the emitters in various embodiments.

Referring now to FIGS. 12A-12C, orientation and intensity representationof electric field information stored in a three dimensional storagedevice according to one aspect of the present embodiments is shown. Aspresented above, when a three dimensional storage device cell isexcited, e.g., elevating its energy for instance by applying a laserbeam to the cell or using excitation circuitry or shockwave generator asdescribed in subsequent figures, electrical charges within the cell maybe oriented and the intensity of the electric field in the cell may beadjusted. Once in the excited state, the electrical charges within thecell may be oriented, as desired. For example, the electrical chargeswithin the cell may be oriented to have a particular orientation angledefined by (θ, φ), where θ is the angle of the electric field withrespect to the horizontal plane and where φ is the angle of the electricfield with respect to the vertical plane. It is appreciated that theorientation may be changed, for example, by altering the dipoles, asdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 1-11. It is appreciated that theintensity of the electric field may also be adjusted in addition to itsorientation. The intensity may be defined by r.

In other words, the electrical charges within a cell of the threedimensional storage medium may be oriented to have a particular (θ, φ)and a particular intensity r. Accordingly, rather than storing binaryinformation, as it is done by conventional storage medium, storagecapacity by one cell can greatly be expanded. For example, there are360° angle for each θ and φ. In addition, the intensity may be adjusted.As such, one cell can expand the storage capacity by more than a hundredtimes if not by thousands of times the conventional binary storagemedium. For example, for the same intensity electric field, if theorientation angles are allowed to be adjusted by 1° angle increment for360° for each θ and φ, the capacity of the cell is increased by 360×360which is 129,600 times. In the same example, if the intensity can bevaried to have a binary possibility the capacity can be increased by129,600² which is 1.67962e¹⁰ times. In the same example, if theintensity of the electric field can be varied to have three possibleintensity values, then the capacity can be increased by 129,600³ whichis 2.17678e¹⁵ times. In another example, for the same intensity electricfield, if the orientation angles are allowed to be adjusted by 36° angleincrement for 360° for each θ and φ, the capacity of the cell isincreased by 10×10 which is 100 times. In the same example, if theintensity can be varied to have a binary possibility the capacity can beincreased by 100² which is 10,000 times. In the same example, if theintensity of the electric field can be varied to have three possibleintensity values, then the capacity can be increased by 100³ which is1,000,000 times. It is appreciated that the exemplary numbers providedare for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of theembodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 12A, an illustrative embodiment where only the φangle can be changed is shown. For example, the electric fieldintensities 1202-1232 are the same. However, the φ angle can be varied.In this illustrative embodiment, the φ angle increments are 22.5°. Sincethere are φ angle can rotate 360°, then there are 16 possible values. Inother words, the storage capacity of a cell having the same electricfield intensity and having the same θ angle can be increased by 16 foldsby varying the 100 angle at 22.5° increments.

Referring now to FIG. 12B, an electric field representation 1202 havingan intensity r and orientation angles (θ, φ) is shown. Referring now toFIG. 12C, varying the intensity of the electric field for the same (θ,φ) orientation is shown. For example, electric field 1240 has a lowerintensity in comparison to the electric field 1242 which has a lowerintensity in comparison to the electric field 1244 which has a lowerintensity in comparison to the electric field 1246. As illustrated inFIGS. 12A-C, the storage capacity of a single cell can be greatlyincreased by varying the electric field intensity and its orientation incomparison the conventional binary storage medium.

Referring now to FIG. 13A-13B, storing electric field information in athree dimensional storage device using a shockwave generator accordingto one aspect of the present embodiments is shown. Referringspecifically to FIG. 13A, a three dimensional storage device 1301, ashockwave generator 1320, and an emitter 1330 is shown. The shockwavegenerator 1320 excites one or more layers of the three dimensionalstorage device 1301. Each layer of the three dimensional storage device1301 may include a plurality of cells. During the excitation period theemitter 1330 may shine an optical array, e.g., laser beam, onto aparticular cell (hereinafter referred to as a target cell or cell to bewritten to) within the excited layer of the storage device 1301 in orderto orient electrical charges within the target cell, e.g., change theorientation angles (θ, φ). It is appreciated that the intensity of theelectric field may also be changed by varying the power of the opticalarray for each target cell. Once the excitation period is terminated,the target cell maintains the oriented electrical charges and theintensity. As such, information can be maintained and stored within thetarget cell.

The three dimensional storage device 1301 may include multiple layers1302, 1304, 1306, 1308, and 1310. It is appreciated that any number oflayers may be present and discussion of a five layer storage device isfor illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limitingthe scope of the embodiments. The three dimensional storage device 1301may comprise material where its optical characteristics, e.g.,refractive index, reflection index, etc., can change when excited. Forexample, the storage device 1301 may comprise transparent material suchas quartz glass. In some embodiments, the storage device 1301 maycomprise polymer material where the electrical properties can be alteredin response to energy excitation of the storage device 1301. In someembodiments, the storage device 1301 may include a photoactive cube thatis optically transparent such as polystyrene doped with ferroelectricmaterial. In some embodiments, the polystyrene that is doped may have afixed or varying polarization.

The shockwave generator 1320 may be a megasonic transducer thatgenerates a pressure wave (p-wave) signal that changes thecharacteristics of a particular layer of the three dimensional storagedevice 1301 during the excitation period. In some embodiments, theshockwave generator 1320 may generate acoustic waves that change thecharacteristics of a particular layer of the three dimensional storagedevice 1301 during the excitation period. For example, the shockwavegenerator 1320 may generate a p-wave signal or acoustic waves 1322 and1324 in layers 1304 and 1308 of the three dimensional storage device1301 respectively. The p-wave effect or acoustic waves may change thecharacteristics of the layers, e.g., optical index such as refractiveindex, reflective index, etc. during the excitation period. In otherwords, the material density and/or the index of the layer that is beingexcited changes during the excitation period. It is appreciated that insome embodiments, the shockwave generator may induce a p-wave using arapid thermal shock, e.g., by using a pulsed laser, mechanical piezotransducer appropriately positions at each layer, etc. It is appreciatedthat the excitation period is the period during which thecharacteristics of the layer is changed.

According to some embodiments, as the p-wave or acoustic signals 1322and 1324 travel through their respective layers 1304 and 1308, theemitter 1330 shines optical signals 1332 and 1334, e.g., laser signal,onto a desired target cell to orient the target cell's electricalcharges. It is appreciated that in some embodiments, the emitter 1330may be a laser emitter, e.g., a femtosecond laser. It is alsoappreciated that the emitter 1330 works synchronously with the shockwavegenerator 1320 such that the signals 1332 and 1334 arrive at the targetcells within the respective layers 1304 and 1308 at the same time thatthe p-wave or acoustic signals 1322 and 1324 arrive. In other words, theelectrical charges, e.g., dipole orientation, within the target cell canbe oriented during the excitation period which is when the p-wave oracoustic signal is present. In some embodiments, the electrical chargeswithin a target cell may be oriented as desired as long as the p-wavesignal or acoustic signal are present at the same time as the beam fromthe emitter 1330. For example, as the p-wave signal or acoustic signal1322 arrives at a target cell of interest, the emitter 1330 shines anoptical beam 1332 in order to orient the electrical charges of thetarget cell, e.g., by rearranging and reorienting the dipoles within thetarget cell. Similarly, as the p-wave signal or acoustic signal 1324arrives at a target cell of interest, the emitter 1330 shines an opticalbeam 1334 in order to orient the electrical charges of the target cell,e.g., by rearranging and reorienting the dipoles within the target cell.

It is appreciated that in some embodiments, the intensity of theelectric field within each target cell may also be controlled via thepower intensity delivered through the emitted beam, e.g., beam 1332 orbeam 1334. In other words, the intensity of the electric field withinthe target cell may be increased by delivering a higher power beam andit may be decreased by delivering a lower power beam. It is appreciatedthat once the p-wave or acoustic signal 1322 departs from the targetcell, the target cell maintains the oriented electric field and theintensity of the electric field because the excitation period isterminated. For example, the characteristics of the layer, e.g., opticalindex such as refractive index, reflective index, etc. may return totheir original values as the p-wave or acoustic signals 1322 or 1324departs from the targeted cell or layer. The return of thecharacteristics of the targeted cell to their original values enablesthe targeted cell to maintain the orientation of the electric field andthe intensity of the electric field in absence of the excitation period,e.g., in absence of p-wave signal or acoustic signal.

It is further appreciated that multiple target cells and multiple layersof the three dimensional storage device 1301 may be written to at thesame time, e.g., as shown in FIG. 13A two target cells in two differentlayers. However, it is appreciated that the number of target cells andlayers being written to, as discussed, is for illustrative purposes onlyand should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 13B, an embodiment similar to the one shown inFIG. 13A is shown that is chronologically later in time. For example,FIG. 13B shows the p-wave or acoustic signals 1322 and 1324 later intime as they propagate through their respective layers 1304 and 1308. Ata later in time, subsequent beams, e.g., 1332′ and 1334′, may be emittedto other target cells further down the propagation path of the p-wave oracoustic signals 1322 and 1324. As such, the electrical charges withinthe other target cells further down the propagation path of the p-waveor acoustic signals 1322 and 1324 may be oriented based on the beams1332′ and 1334′, similar to the embodiment discussed in FIG. 13A.Similarly, the intensity of the electric fields within the target cellsmay be controlled through varying the power of the beams 1332′ and 1334′emitted through the emitter 1330, similar to FIG. 13A. As discussedabove, the target cells maintain the electric field orientation andtheir intensity once the p-wave or acoustic signal 1322 and 1324 leavethe target cells. As such, electric field orientation and intensity maybe stored in respective target cells. As described with respect to FIGS.12A-C, orienting the electric field and intensity with a target cell maysubstantially increase the storage capacity of the cell.

Referring now to FIG. 14, storing electric field information in a threedimensional storage device using excitation circuitry according to oneaspect of the present embodiments is shown. FIG. 14 is similar to thatof FIGS. 13A-B, as described above. However, in this embodiment, theshockwave generator 1320 is replaced with an excitation circuitry 1420.It is appreciated that the three dimensional storage device 1401 issubstantially similar to that of 1301 and functions in similar fashion.The emitter 1430 is substantially similar to that of 1330 and functionsin similar fashion.

The excitation circuitry 1420 may be a circuitry that applies analternative current (AC) voltage, or a radio frequency signal up to anoptical frequency of the three dimensional storage device 1401, etc. Theexcitation circuitry 1420 excites the entire layer, e.g., layer 1404,through excitation signal 1422. During the excitation period, theemitter 1430 may emit one or more beams, e.g., beams 1432-1438, eithersimultaneously or chronologically or any combination thereof, to thetarget cells of interest. During the excitation period, as describedabove, the electrical charges within each target cell may be orientedbased on their respective beam received from the emitter 1430.Furthermore, as described above, the intensity of the electric fieldwithin each target cell may be controlled through the power intensity ofthe emitted beam from the emitter 1430. It is appreciated that once theexcitation period is over, the target cells maintain the electric fieldorientation and intensity, thereby substantially increasing the storagecapacity of the storage cells in comparison to the conventional binarysystems.

It is appreciated that the embodiments should not be construed aslimited to one layer being excited and written to at the time, as shownin FIG. 14. For example, one portion of one layer may be excited andwritten to simultaneously as another portion of another layer beingexcited and written to. In some embodiments, multiple layers may beexcited at the same time and written to simultaneously. In someembodiments, each layer may be excited and written to independent fromother layers of the storage cell.

Referring now to FIGS. 15A-B, storing electric field information in athree dimensional storage device with gridlines to activate cellsindependently according to one aspect of the present embodiments isshown. Referring more specifically to FIG. 15A, a storage device 1501similar to those described in FIGS. 13A-B and 14 is shown. The storagedevice 1501 may include layers 1502, 1503, 1504, 1505, 1506, 1507, and1508, and cells therein, e.g., cells 1512, 1514, etc.

It is appreciated that the storage device 1501 may include horizontalexcitation lines 1520 and vertical excitation lines 1522 that areconfigured to control excitation of each cell individually andindependently from one another. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG.15 the excited target cells are greyed out. For example, cell 1512 maybe excited using the vertical and horizontal excitation linesindependently from cell 1514. As such, both cells may be written tosequentially or simultaneously. The excitation of individual cellsthrough excitation lines 1520 and 1522 may be through similar means asthe one described in FIG. 14.

In some embodiments, once a target cell is excited, e.g., cell 1512, thelens 1530 may direct emitted beams from an emitter (not shown here) tothe target cell 1512. The lens 1530 may be graphene ultrathin lens. Assuch, the lens 1530 may be configured to control emission of the beam tothe appropriate layer within the storage device 1501 and the appropriatetarget cell. It is appreciated that the lens 1530 may be coupled to theemitter (not shown) or it may be coupled to the top layer of the storagedevice 1501, e.g., layer 1508. It is appreciated that in someembodiments, the lens 1530 may be integrated within the upper layer ofeach cell individually due to the lens being a graphene ultrathin lens.

In some embodiments, the electrical charges within the target cell 1512may be oriented appropriately when the target cell 1512 is excited.Moreover, the intensity of the electric field within the target cell1512 may be varied when the target cell 1512 is excited by varying thepower of the beam. It is appreciated that the beam going through thelens 1530 may be generated using any of the emitters discussed above andit may be a femtosecond laser beam. It is appreciated that discussedabove, once the target cell 1512 is no longer excited, the orientationof the electric field and the intensity is maintained by the target cell1512, therefore substantially increasing the storage capacity of thecell in comparison the conventional binary systems.

Referring now to FIG. 15B, a side view of the embodiment described inFIG. 15A is shown. As shown, the lens 1530 may be configured and controlthe direction of the emitted beam to the appropriate layer of thestorage device 1501, e.g., layer 1503, 1504, or 1505, and theappropriate target cell, e.g., cell 1542, 1544, or 1546.

It is appreciated that FIGS. 13A-15B describe storing electricalinformation in various target cells within excited cells or layers.However, it is appreciated that reading/retrieving the stored electricalinformation from the cells may be substantially similar to thatdescribed in FIGS. 1-11. In other words, a lower power, e.g., lowerpower than the excitation energy, may be applied such that electricalinformation, e.g., electric field orientation and intensity within thecell, is not altered but read.

While the embodiments have been described and/or illustrated by means ofparticular examples, and while these embodiments and/or examples havebeen described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of theApplicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the embodimentsto such detail. Additional adaptations and/or modifications of theembodiments may readily appear, and, in its broader aspects, theembodiments may encompass these adaptations and/or modifications.Accordingly, departures may be made from the foregoing embodimentsand/or examples without departing from the scope of the conceptsdescribed herein. The implementations described above and otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An system comprising: a data storage mediumcomprising a plurality of layers, wherein each layer comprises aplurality of cells that are arranged in a horizontal plane of the datastorage medium with respect to one another, and wherein cells indifferent layers of the plurality of layers are arranged in a verticalplane of the data storage medium with respect to one another, andwherein each cell is configured to store electric field information; anexcitation circuit configured to excite a layer of the plurality oflayers during excitation period, wherein exciting the layer of theplurality of layers changes an optical property of the layer during theexcitation period; and an emitter configured to emit a beam onto a cellof the layer being excited during the excitation period to store theelectric field information thereto, and wherein the beam being emittedonto the cell of the layer being excited during the excitation periodchanges electrical characteristics of the cell of the layer beingexcited during the excitation period, wherein the cell of the layerbeing excited maintains the changed electrical characteristics after theexcitation period is over or in absence of the layer of the plurality oflayers being excited, and wherein the changed electrical characteristicsmaintained by the cell of the layer being excited are the electric fieldinformation to be stored onto the data storage medium, and wherein thechange to the optical property includes a refractive changes andreflective changes, and wherein the optical property associated with thecell of the layer being excited changes to its original optical propertyafter the excitation period is over and maintains the oriented electricfield information within the layer being excited.
 2. The system asdescribed in claim 1, wherein the data storage medium comprisestransparent material.
 3. The system as described in claim 1, wherein theemitter is a femtosecond laser and wherein the beam is laser.
 4. Thesystem as described in claim 1, wherein the excitation circuit isconfigured to apply an alternating current (AC) voltage to the layer ofthe plurality of layers during the excitation period.
 5. The system asdescribed in claim 1, wherein the excitation circuit is configured toapply a radio frequency (RF) up to an optical frequency of the layer toexcite the layer of the plurality of layers during the excitationperiod.
 6. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the electricfield information comprises orientation of an electric field.
 7. Thesystem as described in claim 1, wherein the electric field informationcomprises intensity of an electric field, wherein the intensity iscontrolled by a power of the beam emitted by the emitter.
 8. The systemas described in claim 1, wherein a value of the electric fieldinformation has at least three possible values.
 9. An system comprising:a data storage medium comprising a plurality of layers, wherein eachlayer comprises a plurality of cells that are arranged in a horizontalplane of the data storage medium with respect to one another, andwherein cells in different layers of the plurality of layers arearranged in a vertical plane of the data storage medium with respect toone another; an excitation circuit configured to excite a layer of theplurality of layers during excitation period, wherein exciting the layerof the plurality of layers changes an optical property of the layerduring the excitation period; and an emitter configured to emit a firstbeam onto a first cell of the layer being excited during the excitationperiod to orient electrical charges within the first cell to a firstoriented value and their intensity to a first intensity value, andwherein the emitter is further configured to emit a second beam onto asecond cell of the layer being excited during the excitation period toorient electrical charges within the second cell to a second orientedvalue and their intensity to a second intensity value, wherein the firstcell maintains the first oriented value and the first intensity valueafter the excitation period is over or in absence of the layer beingexcited and wherein the second cell maintains the second oriented valueand the second intensity value after the excitation period is over or inabsence of the layer being excited, and wherein the change to theoptical property includes a refractive changes and reflective changes,and wherein the optical property associated with the layer being excitedchanges to its original optical property after the excitation period isover.
 10. The system as described in claim 9, wherein the data storagemedium comprises transparent material.
 11. The system as described inclaim 9, wherein the emitter is a femtosecond laser and wherein thefirst beam is laser.
 12. The system as described in claim 9, wherein theexcitation circuit is configured to apply an alternating current (AC)voltage to the layer of the plurality of layers during the excitationperiod.
 13. The system as described in claim 9, wherein the excitationcircuit is configured to apply a radio frequency (RF) up to an opticalfrequency of the layer to excite the layer of the plurality of layersduring the excitation period.
 14. The system as described in claim 9,wherein the first oriented value is different from the second orientedvalue and wherein the first intensity value is different from the secondintensity value, and wherein the first beam and the second beam areemitted simultaneously to the first cell and the second cell during theexcitation period.
 15. The system as described in claim 9, wherein thefirst oriented value has at least three possible values and the firstintensity value has at least three possible values.
 16. An systemcomprising: a data storage medium comprising a plurality of layers,wherein each layer comprises a plurality of cells that are arranged in ahorizontal plane of the data storage medium with respect to one another,and wherein cells in different layers of the plurality of layers arearranged in a vertical plane of the data storage medium with respect toone another; an excitation circuit configured to excite a first layer ofthe plurality of layers during a first excitation period and a secondlayer of the plurality of layers during a second excitation period,wherein the excitation circuit is configured to excite different layersof the plurality of layers independent from one another, whereinexciting the first layer and the second layer changes an opticalproperty of the first layer and the second layer during excitationperiods associated therewith; and an emitter configured to emit a firstbeam onto a first cell of the first layer being excited during the firstexcitation period to orient electrical charges of the first cell to afirst oriented value and their intensity to a first intensity value, andwherein the emitter is further configured to emit a second beam onto asecond cell of the second layer being excited during the secondexcitation period to orient electrical charges of the second cell to asecond oriented value and their intensity to a second intensity value,wherein the first cell maintains the first oriented value and the firstintensity value after the first excitation period is over or in absenceof the first layer being excited and wherein the second cell maintainsthe second oriented value and the second intensity value after thesecond excitation period is over or in absence of the second layer beingexcited.
 17. The system as described in claim 16, wherein the datastorage medium comprises transparent material.
 18. The system asdescribed in claim 16, wherein the emitter is a femtosecond laser andwherein the first beam is laser, and wherein the first intensity valueis controlled by a power of the first beam.
 19. The system as describedin claim 16, wherein the excitation circuit is configured to apply analternating current (AC) voltage to the first layer of the plurality oflayers during the first excitation period and to the second layer of theplurality of layers during the second excitation period.
 20. The systemas described in claim 16, wherein the excitation circuit is configuredto apply a radio frequency (RF) up to an optical frequency of the firstlayer of the plurality of layers during the first excitation period andto the second layer of the plurality of layers during the secondexcitation period.
 21. The system as described in claim 16, wherein thechange to the optical property includes a refractive changes andreflective changes during excitation periods, and wherein the opticalproperty associated with the first and the second layer change to theiroriginal optical property after the after associated excitation periodsis over.
 22. The system as described in claim 16, wherein the first theexcitation period and the second excitation period share a same starttime and an end time.
 23. The system as described in claim 16, whereinthe first oriented value is different from the second oriented value,and wherein the first intensity value is different from the secondintensity value.
 24. The system as described in claim 16, wherein atleast one of a start time, end time, and duration associated with thefirst excitation period and the second excitation period is different.